Transmission-gearing for automobile vehicles.



G. DUMONT. TRANSMISSION GEARING FOB. AUTOMOBILE VEHIOLES.

APPLIOATION FILED $113.15, 1909.

Patented Jul 9, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

/N VENTOR COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH couwAsmNman, D. c.

Patented July 9, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

/NVENTOR COLUMBIA PuNoaRAPH CD.,WASHINGTON, B4 C4 G. DUMONT.

TRANSMISSION GEARING FOR AUTOMOBILE VEHICLES.

APPLIOATION IILED r2345, 1909.

1,032,350, Patented July 9, 1912.

4 8HEBTSSHEET 3.

G. DUMONT.

TRANSMISSION GEARING FOR. AUTOMOBILE VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.15, 1909.

Patented July 9, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Fig.8.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAIN c0 vIAsmNo'mN. I). a

GUSTAVE DUMONT,

OF NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, FRANCE.

TRANSMISSION-GEARING FOB AUTOMOBILE VEHICLES.

Application filed February 15, 1909.

To all whom #777 618] concern Be it known that I, GUsTAvn I)UMONT, acitizen of the French Republic, and residing at 16 Rue Louis Philippe,Neuilly-sur- Seine, France, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Transmission- Gearing for Automobile Vehicles, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to transmission gearing for automobile vehiclesand consists of an improved form of transmission gearing of the typeknown as friction drive, from the engine or motor to the driving roadwheels.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensiveconstruction which will also better utilize a motor of low power and toallow of simple manipulation and control of the transmission gearing.

This transmission gear which comprises the known method of driving byplates or disks and friction rollers is designed with a view to effectthe transmission of power from the engine to the two driving wheels ofthe vehicle by two separate shafts which are simultaneously butindependently controlled, so that a differential or balance gear isunnecess: ry. The rear axle is made solid and of light weight and isreadily shaped to give the wheels the preferred inclination. The twotransmission shafts from the motor to the driving wheels can belaterally displaced simultaneously and thus disengaged from the motor;spring means for pressing the friction wheels into engagement with thedriving plate afford the equivalent of the usual clutch while thecustomary mechanism is replaced by special operated means for separatingthe friction wheels from the driving plate and for braking.

The automobile road vehicle represented on the accompanying drawings isfitted with the present invention.

Figure 1 is a view of the whole in longitudinal, sectional elevation;Fig. 2 is a plan 'view, in horizontal section; Fig. o shows on a largerscale, partly in elevation and partly in section, one of the flywheeldisks of the engine and the corresponding forward part of thetransmission shaft and its friction roller; in this figure the roller isshown in the position for reverse drive; Fig. 4 is a view at rightangles to Fig. 3, showing a detail of the clutch control; Fig. 5 showsthe Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1912.

Serial No. 478,122.

vehicle seen from the front. Fig. 6 shows the rear axle or bridge; Fig.7 illustrates in section and on a larger scale the mounting and drivingconnection of one of the driving wheels; and Fig. 8 shows on a largerscale the motor seen from the front.

The motor of this automobile road vehicle is indicated at A arranged infront as usual and is mounted in such a Way that its crankshaft isperpendicular to or transverse of the longer axis of the vehicle; themotor is furnished with two fly-wheels 13,13 which constitute the twodriving plates or disks. This motor may be of any suitable make whichenables it to be mounted in this particular manner and the invention isnot limited to any particular type of engine. The driving disks B, I,may be shaped in any suitable manner with a view to their function andare preferably formed with a central cut-away portion 7) affording adeclutched or disengaged position for the friction rollers which aredriven by these plates, and they may be of metal or other suitablematerial.

Two friction rollers C furnished with leather, fiber or other suitablesurfaces are arranged to bear against the plates B, and are movableacross the face thereof being preferably mounted by means of long keyson the two shafts D, D which extend longitudinally to the rear axle Eand drive respectively the two rear wheels F, F by bevel pinions. Thetwo friction rollers C are capable of being simultaneously displacedlongitudinally on their shafts l) to any point on a diameter of thedriving plates 15 for the purpose of varying the speed of the drive. Itis suf ficient practically however, if they can be displaced along theentire radius in the direction to secure the forward drive and to theextent of only a small portion of the radius in the opposite directionto secure the reverse drive. The movement of these friction rollers iseffected by means of rods 25 connected to a lever t fast with a sl'iaftT to which is fixed a controlling lever t guided by a quadrant. Afriction drive of this character being suitable only for fairly lowpowermachines and inasmuch as each of the two transmission shafts D, Dtransmits only half of the power, these sl afts may be of relativelysmall cross section, consequently by reason of the relatively greatdistance between their points of support adjacent to the engine in frontand at the rear axle behind, they possess a certain amount offlexibility which may be utilized for the separation or the engagementof their friction rollers C from or with the driving plates B, and thenecessity for employing the common universal joints in the transmissionshafts is thus avoided. This feature of my invention results in a verymuch snnplified transverse structure. Further, these shafts can beutilized as thrust bars and torque rods between the rear axle and thechassis, thus insuring the symmetrical transmission of the thrust to thelatter on one side and the other of the longer axis of the vehicle. Thisaids in maintaining the proper position of the rear axle.

The two shafts D are supported near the engine in two bearings D whichserve also as abutments. In the form shown the bearings have the form ofa ball and socket joint, the sockets being carried by the arms g of thedouble levers g, G, g, G which are pivoted on vertical pins 9 Theflexibility of the shafts D permits their rollers C to be sprung awayfrom the plates 1) against which they are normally pressed by a springII which constitutes the clutch spring. The declutching or disengagingof the friction rollers from the driving plates is effected through apedal mechanism explained hereinafter. Each of the two shafts D carriesat its rear end a bevel pinion l which engages and drives a bevel gearwheel 7 fast with the corresponding driving road wheel F. The axleproper E is a single light shaft which extends from one wheel to theother and by which the ordinary suspension springs I are carried. Eachof the wheels F is mounted upon a sleeve P which constitutes its hub,and this latter is fitted with the bevel wheel f which is journaled uponthe fixed shaft E. It will be remarked that this construction of theaxle on the rear bridge permits the usual tilting of the wheels withouta special arrangement and that it insures perfect solidity of the axlewhich cannot be obtained by live axle arrangements having a differentialgear, except by means of constructional complications which are adisadvantage as well as of increasing weight.

The two shafts D, D are extended into and through two tubes or sheaths Jin which they are guided by suitable bearings; these two tubes J aremade fast with two casings K inclosing the pairs of bevel gears (hf, andmounted at is upon the shaft of the axle E so as to be capable ofpivoting to the small extent which is necessitated by the verticaldisplacements of the axle resulting from the travel of the vehicle;these two casings are connected by a bar it. The thrust is transmittedfrom the axle to the chassis or frame of the vehicle by the two shaftsD, D equally; the thrust in each case being transmitted from the hub ofthe wheel to the shaft D by the ball-bearing d situated near the pinion(Z, and from the shaft to the chassis by the ball and socket bearing D(which is also a ball bearing) and by the lever 51 G and the axissupport 9- which is secured to the engine and the chassis. Thistransmission of the thrust by the two symmetrical shafts D, D, affordsthe great advantage of preserving to the rear bridge its correctvertical position with relation to the chassis and the special thrustbars which for a well-designed construction would have to be two innumber on each side of the axle, may be dispensed with. Rods j arrangedin a vertical plane connect the sheaths J at a suitable point in theirlength to their respective casings K.

It has been seen above that the flexibility of the shafts D has beenutilized; that use extends to the whole of these shafts and theirsheaths J.

The two driving road wheels being independent adapt themselves readilyto differences of path of travel such as occur at turnings or corners,since the friction drive readily permits a slight slip of the frictionrollers upon the driving plates. The effect of a differential gear isthus obtained with out its inconveniences.

The levers g G are controlled so as to obtain the necessary nessure ofthe rollers against the plates, or to remove said pressure, by means ofthe following arrangement. These double levers G are mounted on a shaftL and the spring H tends normally to separate these arms G, thus servingto press the rollers C against the plates B. In order that the spring Hshall not be of excessive length, a sleeve /1, is interposed between oneend of the spring and one of the arms G. To separate the frictionrollers from the driven plates and thus obtain a declutching action, apedal M is provided fast to the shaft L, this shaft having two rollers Zwhich are in contact with two cams 9 fast with the arms G. lVhen thepedal M is in its normal position the spring H presses the rollers intofrictional contact with the driving plates, but when the pedal isdepressed, the rollers are separated, overcoming the action of thespring, by reason of the flexibility of the shafts D as above explained.

The braking device is of any desired charactor, but preferably arrangedin connection with braking drums O on the shafts D which are pressedagainst the braking blocks 0 by continuing the downward pressure uponthe pedal M. This affords the advantage of braking of the two wheels bymeans of a pedal but without the well known inconveniences which attendthe usual method of foot-braking the differential which results in adisturbance of this device when the two separate said friction anddriving rotors,

wheels have not the same adherence on the road surface. It will benoticed, therefore, that the result of this duplicated frictiondrive, inaddition to dispensing with the differential, is the important advantageof a regular and equal propulsion by the two driving road wheels and ofa powerful and equal braking action, so that the invention allows of aconstruction which while being stronger than that of an ordinary liveaxle with a differential, permits the inclination of the wheels withoutditliculty and is nevertheless of very light weight. These differentcharacteristics with the simplicity of the construction which resultstherefrom, enable an automobile vehicle to be constructed which iscertain and regular in its working, of a good appearance on the road andof low cost.

I do not limit myself to the precise form of construction shown, whichmay be varied in many ways Without departing from my invention, butclaim as my invention:

1. In a friction driving mechanism for automobiles and the like, atransmission shaft of such texture and dimensions that it may beslightly flexed, a friction rotor carried thereby, a driving rotoragainst which said friction rotor normally bears and means for springingsaid transmission shaft to separate said friction and driving rotors,substantially as described.

2. In a friction driving mechanism for automobiles and the like, a rigidtransmission shaft of such texture and length as to permit of slightflexure, supports therefor spaced apart a sufficient distance to permitthe necessary flexure of said shaft, a friction rotor carried by saidshaft, a driving rotor against which said friction rotor normally bearsand means for springing said transmission shaft to separate saidfriction and driving rotors, substantially as described.

3. In a friction driving mechanisn'i for automobiles and the like, anintegral driving shaft of such texture and length as to permit of slightflexure, a friction rotor carried thereby, a driving rotor against whichsaid friction rotor normally bears and means for springing saidtransmission shaft to substantially as described.

4. In a friction driving mechanism for automobiles and the like, atransmission shaft of such texture and dimensions that itmay be slightlyflexed, a friction rotor carried thereby, a driving rotor against whichsaid friction rotor normally bears and means for springing saidtransmission shaft to separate said friction and driving rotors, incombination with means for shifting the point of engagement between saidfriction and driving rotors to secure change of speed or reverse ofdirection, substantially as described.

5. In a friction driving mechanism for automobiles and the like, atransmission shaft of such texture and dimensions that it may beslightly flexed, a friction rotor carried thereby, a driving rotoragainst which said friction rotor normally bears and means for springingsaid transmission shaft to separate said friction and driving rotors, incombination with a bevel pinion on the end of said transmission shaftand a driven wheel having a sleeve, :1 bevel gear thereon with whichsaid bevel pinion is held constantly in mesh in predetern'linedrelation.

6. In a friction driving mechanism for automobiles and the like, arectangular supporting frame. a driving rotor arranged adjacent one endof the frame, a driven member arranged adjacent the opposite end of theframe, and a transmission shaftextending lengthwise of the frame betweensaid driving and driven members, said shaft being of such length andtexture as to permit of slight flcxnrc, in combination with a frictionrotor carried by said shaft and normally bearing against the drivingrotor and means for flexing said transmission shaft to separate saidfriction and driving rotors, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAVE DUMONT.

\Vitnesses Iniois Fnaxcknx, CHARLES DoNN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

